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Saturday, May 29, 2010

Brit Boy is out enjoying himself at Wembley Stadium today with a couple of friends. He is there to cheer on his beloved team, Swindon Town, as they go up against Millwall in the final of the League One Play-Offs. He is so loyal to his team and that’s one of the things that I love about him…his loyalty. He is not a fair-weather fan :-) He has supported this team forever, even when they have done awfully, and now that they are playing on the “big stage”, he is there to celebrate!

I sent him off this morning with a goodie bag and a big hug. He took a coach/bus into Wembley with his friends and he was really excited. It was raining a bit when he left, so I hope it clears up around London by match time. I know he was hoping for better weather, but if Swindon Town win, not one drop of rain will register in his memory of the day! :-) As a longtime fan he has earned the thrill of this day!

Brit Boy is much better at explaining the history of the game and the team, so if you like, please visit him over at “his blog” because he’s blogged about today’s buildup. He’s also been “tweeting” from there today also.

I’ve been to Wembley twice with Brit Boy. We went to see the England team play a couple of years ago and in 2007 we went to the Concert for Diana at the stadium too. It was a great concert and it was wonderful to be there to see Princes William and Harry pay tribute to their dear mother. It was very moving.

I decided to stay home today and let Brit Boy enjoy his football/soccer with his friends. I’m not a big football fan, but I will watch it on occasion. I just thought that it was great for him to have some guy time.

So I’m here on my own today, enjoying a slightly drizzly day, with my books, laptop, and a bit of television. Here’s to relaxing Saturdays ;-) And hopefully a big win!!!!

Thursday, May 27, 2010

This afternoon, Brit Boy and I went out to do some errands in town and then we headed to Cirencester after that. Cirencester is at the edge of the Cotswolds, which is an area of great natural beauty. I love driving out that way :-)

As we were driving along, I couldn't help but be moved by the beauty of the clouds. I just love those big fluffy clouds that seem like you can just reach out and grab a bit of them. Here's the view that we enjoyed as we headed for Cirencester.

Usually the highway that we were on is quite busy, but today, especially at the non-rush hour time when we were traveling, it was pretty calm. So it made for a very pleasant drive.

While we were in Cirencester, we visited Dobbies, which I have written about before here. We browsed around and didn't buy much. But the best thing we got was a couple of cups of really delicious Cotswold ice cream. It was simply divine! :-) It reminded me of the homemade ice cream that my Daddy used to make. Brit Boy had strawberry and I had chocolate. Here's mine after a few bites. I thought, Hey, let me share this with the good folks out in the blogosphere. I have to share, don't I? ;-)

That chocolate ice cream was so good that I kept imagining that the cup was getting fuller instead of emptier. LOL. The texture is so rich and it's a true chocolate, not a so-so chocolate...you know. Okay, I'm reliving it a bit too much. LOL. But I thoroughly enjoyed it. It makes me think of the summer ahead.

I know I'm gonna be dreaming of that chocolate ice cream tonight for sure...LOL! Have a great Thursday everyone!

Monday, May 24, 2010

Over the past fews days I've been seeing lots of photos online of Janet Jackson with her hair in a new short style. She's been in London promoting her movie, "Why Did I Get Married Too?". I just wanted to say, I think that Janet always looks beautiful and I LOVEher new look! :-)

Photo Credit: Press Association

I'm a big fan of short hair, especially for summer. I think that she looks so radiant. She is a beautiful woman and she wears this new style well!

Seeing her sporting her new look has me thinking once again about going short with my hair. I'm not a serial celebrity copier or anything, by any stretch of the imagination, it's just that seeing her once again reminded me of what I loved about having my hair cut short. You can just get up and go! LOL. The freedom of it is truly freeing.

For a great portion of my life, I've always worn my hair long, but at different times in my life, I've dipped my toe into the short hair pool for a change of pace and to just simplify things.

When I first moved over here to England four years ago, I had very short hair that I had been sporting for a few years at that point. For a while I would trim it myself, but that got tiring. Since I couldn't find any place close by to get it cut, I just let it do its growing thing ;-) Now it's shoulder length and I trim the ends periodically.

Lately, way before I saw Janet's new look, I've been toying with the idea of going short again. Who knows? Maybe I'll take the leap again :-) Or maybe I'll keep it as it is. I'm not indecisive at all...LOL. I just love thinking about the possibilities. I think that I'm on the verge of a personal shift of sorts, so I want my hair to reflect that shift. When I decide which way to go with my hair it will probably be on the spur of the moment and maybe that's the way it's supposed to be :-) Freedom to me is just going with the moment...so that's what I'll do.

After all, life is about having fun and hey, it's only hair...it'll grow back ;-)

Saturday, May 22, 2010

I wanted to check in and say hello. Sorry for the eight days between posts. This is a bit of a random post, but it's just one of those random, easygoing days today, so I'm embracing it ;-)

Brit Boy and I have been doing some rearranging around here this week. It has been a bit of spring cleaning coupled with a need to maximize the space we have. We live in a small house, so space is golden around here :-) I'm very grateful that we have a home. We just have to be creative ;-) I love the way that things feel when you rearrange your space. You can enjoy things anew. Change is good :-) We're still not finished with our arranging and cleaning, but we've made a good start. It feels different around here.

It's a very sunny Saturday around here and it finally feels like spring. Today it feels like summer is just around the corner. I don't know how long this good weather will last, but I'm just going to enjoy it while it's here :-) It's amazing how the sunshine can lift your mood, especially when you don't see it much. I just love seeing that pretty blue sky :-)

Have a great weekend everybody! I hope that it's sunny where you are :-)

Friday, May 14, 2010

Hey there everyone :-) Happy Friday & Happy Weekend! I've been doing some organizing around here, sort of a late spring cleaning, but I haven't organized a new post ;-) So I thought that I'd go back in time to last year and re-share a photo that I've posted before. Looking at this photo always makes me happy, because yellow roses are so beautiful and I love how the morning sunlight was coming into the window. It's been rather cloudy around here lately so I thought I'd remind myself that the sun is still up there...but I just can't see it today :-) Kind of a spiritual reminder of sorts.

So please enjoy this pretty little scene with me and I hope you have a wonderful weekend! :-)

Monday, May 10, 2010

Today I'd like to pay tribute to a lady that I’ve admired for a great portion of my life…Ms. Lena Horne. She passed away yesterday in New York at the age of 92.

Photo courtesy of AFP - Getty Images

When I was a little girl, I loved spending my Sundays watching the classic movies on television, especially musicals, from the golden age of Hollywood. I would watch and be transported to another world of beauty, make-believe, and elegance. I imagined myself dancing around with Fred Astaire or making an entrance like the great Bette Davis. I was absorbed into that world and it was part of my 'play' when I was growing up. It fueled my imagination.

Then one day, I saw her…Lena Horne, and I was a fan from that moment on (smile). There she was…elegant and beautiful and talented. She could do something that I wanted to do so much…she could sing! And she got to wear beautiful clothes while doing it…hey, I was a baby fashionista back then (smile).

When I saw Ms. Horne, I was pleasantly surprised to see a lady that looked like she could be a relative. I had always watched all of the MGM musicals and various movies and loved them no matter who was starring in them. But it was a revelation in my young life then to see this beautiful, talented lady on film who looked like me. She was rare then, as the first black performer to be signed to a long-term contract with a major Hollywood studio. So she was not only talented…she was a trailblazer too. Sadly though, she was held back in the 1940s, because of the color of her skin. She would perform one or two songs in various MGM movies that could be easily edited out of the film in order for it to be played in certain areas. What garbage I say! I should use the other word I thought of. LOL.

Anyway, she had two movies where she was given the spotlight that she deserved, in 1943, with all-black casts. She made “Cabin in the Sky” for MGM and was loaned to 20th Century Fox for my favorite, “Stormy Weather”. And one of her signature songs was the beautiful “Stormy Weather” that she sang in the film. Please take a look at her performance here. So no matter what she had to deal with, she is still going to be remembered always, and she triumphed despite the odds. I love that! I feel like watching “Stormy Weather” right now. I’m going to have to buy a copy somewhere (smile).

Besides her movie career, she was a very popular singer in elegant clubs, onstage, and on many recordings. In 1981, she was the toast of Broadway with her one woman show, “Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music” , for which she won a Tony Award.

Photo credit - Christian Steiner/AP

I wanted to go to see her onstage back then, but I was a young teen who couldn’t be out on a school night (smile) and I didn’t have the money to go to New York. This was the time in my life when I couldn’t wait to be grown, so I could just go where I wanted, when I wanted. Of course I learned later, like we all do, that we shouldn’t rush growing up. But it was still fun to fantasize (smile).

I grew up as a typical child and teen of the 70s and 80s, with lots of love for my faves of those days…like Michael Jackson, Prince, and Madonna…just like a lot of kids my age. However, I also had lots of love for the ladies and gents who paved the way in those early days, not just as entertainers, but also as important threads in the tapestry of the American culture. They made change in their own way.

Photo credit: Garth Vaughan/AP

Lena Horne was a great performer, a trailblazer, and a civil rights activist also. I honor her memory today. Rest in peace…Ms. Horne. Thank you for shining your light in this world!

Tuesday, May 04, 2010

Hello everyone :-) I wanted to pass out a little bloggy love today, since it has been passed along to me by Elizabeth at Eof737’s Mirth and Motivation and I want to thank her so much. She passed the lovely Sunshine Award along to me and I’m so honored because I love her blog…it’s like a breath of fresh air to me :) So please drop by and visit her wonderful blog.

This award honors and supports bloggers and its goal is to spread goodwill and to pay it forward to twelve other bloggers. I’m excited to pass this blog award back to Elizabeth and also to the following twelve blogs:

All of these ladies inspire me in their own special ways, so it’s my honor to pass the Sunshine Award along to them :-)

Here are a few instructions for paying this award forward:#1 Nominate 12 bloggers#2 Put the award logo/photo onto your sidebar or within a post#3 Link the nominees within your post#4 Let the nominees know that they’ve received this award by commenting on their blog#5 Share the love and, if feasible, link the sidebar logo to the person from whom you’ve received this award

Congratulations ladies! And if anyone else wants to share the Sunshine Award, please feel free to take it with you and pay it forward! :-) Have a joyful day!